Enjoy The Weekly Open Air Festivities At Villagefest
Strolling the booths of Villagefest |Photo by seanmfreese
This Palm Springs mainstay takes place every Thursday night from 6-10PM and features dozens of craft booths, a Farmers Market, entertainment, and several dining options in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. This is one of our favorite things to do in Palm Springs with kids because it is a great way for visitors to absorb the energy and culture of the Coachella Valley
Disclosure: My family received complimentary lodging, dinner, and activities as guests of the Palm Springs Visitor Center in order for me to complete this story and several reviews. The visitor center did not ask that I express any particular opinions of anything I experienced and all of my reviews and blog posts always reflect my honest opinion.
Palm Springs Art Museum
The Palm Springs Art Museum is the largest and perhaps most popular cultural institution in the Coachella Valley. With a wide-reaching and growing collection of over 12,000 objects, this awesome Palm Springs museum covers modern and contemporary art, architecture, and design with roots in the areas unique history, culture, and place. Visit this Palm Springs museum for a transformative experience thatll expand your understanding of the world through art.
Tips For Traveling To Palm Springs With Young Kids
- Air Travel: The closest airport is PSP , which has seen a major increase in service the last few years. Our familys favorite Southwest Airlines has added a number of routes. You can also fly to any number of LA area airports and drive the 1-2 hours but traffic from the LA area is often a major issue, especially around major holidays. The closest is Ontario which is about 70 miles away.
- Getting Around: Youll definitely need a car for your visit Palm Springs is lots of sprawl with a million golf courses in the middle of it all taking up lots of land. Plan for plenty of drive time going from town to town the attractions are a bit further apart than you might expect.
- Where to Eat: Many restaurants are kid-friendly, and we found many budget-friendly options as well. A cant miss classic place to eat is Shermans Deli and Cafe in downtown Palm Springs with mile high sandwiches and mouth-watering baked goods .
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Why Should I Become A Member
Membership at CDMOD is your passport to a wonderful world of incredible, hands-on, interactive exhibits, special classes, workshops and Membership Appreciation events throughout the year. Come enjoy our outdoor amphitheater, community gardens and covered picnic area.
Membership Benefits for All Levels include: Unlimited admission for one year invitations to members-only previews, receptions, and special events member newsletter priority registration for select programs and camps.
Where To Stay In Palm Springs With Kids
There are a ton of fantastic family friendly hotels in Palm Springs. The type of trip you envision will determine where to stay in Palm Springs with family. Depending on what type of trip you are taking you may prefer a large resort for the family: We love Omnis Rancho Las Palmas .
Other great resorts with amazing pools include: Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa or La Quinta Resort & Club
Or you may be better off checking out a vacation rental property. Palm Springs is known for their stylish hipster and modern homes with fun pools. Many times I prefer traveling this way because it is so convenient to have all the amenities of a home when traveling with kids. Check out VRBO for some amazing vacation rental properties!
Not to mention when the kids go to bed the grown-ups can still chill in the backyard or stay up and watch movies in the living room. That doesnt happen when you are crammed into a hotel
Click here for more Vacation Rentals in Palm Springs.
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Guide To Palm Springs With Young Kids: An Unlikely Destination That Works
Posted on Published: January 6, 2022
Our familys first trip to Palm Springs was in 2016. When I told friends that my husband and I had planned it as a major stop along Southern California spring break road trip, I must admit I got a few funny looks. While Southern Californians may know Palm Springs as a family-friendly destination, most of the rest of the country only thinks of it as a place to golf, where grandma and grandpa move to retire, or where you might visit to enjoy a thriving gay party scene.
But Im the mom who took a toddler to Las Vegas . Palm Springs seemed infinitely more sensible, even if my family didnt quite fit the usual visitor demographic. But it turns out we did! In fact, we found we had chosen quite wisely in selecting Palm Springs as a destination for our young kids who were then ages almost 7 and 2.5.
Since that trip, we have just keep coming back to Palm Springs. Most recently, we spent the last two Thanksgiving weeks in the Palm Springs area, enjoying the amazing weather and family-friendly attractions on vacation with extended family . My kids are quite a bit older now, but we keep uncovering new things to do and see for every age on our desert vacations.
So if you are considering Palm Springs with kids particularly younger ones here are the essential things to do and see.
Joshua Tree National Park
One of Americas most weirdly beautiful national parks is within day trips distance of Palm Springs. Joshua Tree is full of desert hikes many of which are entirely doable even for the youngest of national parks visitors.
On our familys first visit to Palm Springs, we planned a full day to tour the park from our home base in Rancho Mirage, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Theres so much to do and see there that Joshua Tree deserved a whole post of its own, so make sure to read my tips for Joshua Tree with kids for lots more information and tips.
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Why A Childrens Museum
Occasionally a visitor asks why a parent or guardian is asked to stay with their child during a visit to the Museum. Our answer is best expressed by our passionate belief in our greater mission to families in addition to the educational experience of children. It is important to remember that a childs motivation to learn depends on meaningful activities and a supportive environment where imagination and curiosity are encouraged. You are a primary teacher and partner in learning with your child and no one is more important to him or her than you. This is a great opportunity to discover the emerging personalities of children. We hope that by visiting the Museum and participating in its programs or special interest activities you will be provided with an opportunity to better understand your childs interests and discover new ways to encourage their natural curiosity through activities at home and school. Remember our CDMOD motto, Its Not Just Play, Its Serious Fun!
Who We Are:The Childrens Discovery Museum of the Desert is a private non-profit, 5013 institution founded in 1986 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to provide an environment where childrens intellectual curiosity and self-expression could be freely expressed through play. Their goal was to provide inventive and interactive exhibits and programs which encourage children to learn about themselves and the world around them.
Ruddys General Store Museum
Easily the most unusual Palm Springs museum on the list, Ruddys General Store Museum is a total trip back to the 1930s. As the name suggests, this museum is modeled to replicate a general store and assembled by items belonging to collector Jim Ruddy. In fact, not only is all the packaging displayed inside original, but about 60 percent of the items still hold their original contents. Visit this Palm Springs museum to do a bit of pretend shopping and get ready to feel intense nostalgia for a bygone era.
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Explore The Palm Oases Of Indian Canyons In Palm Springs With Kids
Palm Canyon in Palm Springs, Photo by romanboed
Most people associate the desert with heat, and rightly so. It can certainly get hot during the sweltering summer months. Most of the year, however, the weather is quite pleasant and the desert is ripe for exploring.
Owned by the Agua Caliente Cahuilla tribe, Indian Canyons are lush, palm-filled canyons fed by a shallow aquifer. For a small fee, guests can gain access to these canyons which are great for hikes and picnics.
Andreas Canyon features a short, 1-mile loop trail that follows a stream back into a canyon shaded by fan palms. The 3.9-mile Murray Canyon Trail is the Seven Sacred Sisters waterfall, a perfect spot to enjoy a picnic.
Palm Canyon is one of the largest palm oases on the planet. A trail leads 15 miles back into the canyon follow it for as long as you would like or just enjoy splashing in the streams and having a picnic lunch under the cooling palm trees at the base of the canyon.
Check out this guided tour of Indian Canyons with Red Jeep Tours. My family had a blast on it and learned so much.
Big League Dreams Sports Park
My boys are HUGE sports fans and they all dream of playing in the big leagues someday so a trip to the Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City is a fun option. They have replica fields of Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field. Besides checking out the replica fields the kids will enjoy the batting cages and the playground too! Find more info here.
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Childrens Discovery Museum Of The Desert Hopes To Reopen With Community Support
Were hoping its just going to be a completely reimagined museum, Cindy Burreson, interim executive director for the Childrens Discovery Museum of the Desert told News Channel 3.
Nearly a year after closing its doors, the Childrens Discovery Museum of the Desert is making plans for its future.
Read Article:Childrens Discovery Museum of the Desert closes indefinitely, lays off staff because of pandemic
People that came here as children are now bringing their children here and so we want this to be a resource for families in the future as well but its got such a great history and so many people love this gem here in the desert that we really want to give back to the community something that they really deserve and that theyll really take notice of the changes,” Burreson said.
They’re not planning on construction but are working with the original building designer to revitalize the inside.
More of exhibitry and then maybe doing programming in one of the other buildings. And broaden our audience to include older kids, families, maybe parenting classes and things like that, she said.
To make this happen, theyre calling out to the community to join their board of directors.
Were developing our board to have people that are really committed to this cause because its going to be an enormous project and its going to take a lot of work and we want people who are really dedicated and invested in the future of the museum,” she said.
Go On A Jeep Tour Of The Desert
Take a red Jeep ride into the desert with an expert guide from Desert Adventures. Your guide will passionately introduce you to the wonders of the desert, including the jagged results of the Pacific and North American plates colliding while standing atop the legendary San Andreas fault.
Learn about how native cultures used the natural resources of the desert to survive. Zip through slot canyons where portions of the original Star Wars movie was filmed. Visit a palm oasis where water bubbles up to the surface . The enthusiasm their knowledgeable guides have for the desert is contagious and the jeeps pick up from most hotels across the valley.
Book your adventure with Red Jeep Tours. As a Trip Advisor affiliate Trekaroo receives a small commission to help fund our small business and you get the lowest rates guaranteed.
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Have A Snow Day At Mt San Jacinto
Where else can you trade sun-kissed palm trees for snow-blanketed white firs in just 10 minutes? Located just six miles from downtown Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway takes riders on a scenic, 2.5-mile journey up the steep mountainside of Mt. San Jacinto.
Temperatures are often 30-40 degrees cooler at the trams Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet, and the views of the entire Coachella Valley are spectacular. During the winter and early spring months, snowshoes and cross country skis can be rented from the Adventure Center. There is just something extra special about spending the morning sledding and the afternoon at a resort pool!
In the summer, escape the valley heat and discover a wildly different environment complete with 50 miles of hiking trails among ancient boulders and towering evergreens.
Need a place to stay? Here is Trekaroos guide to the top family-friendly hotels in the Palm Springs area.
Take A Day Trip To Joshua Tree National Park
Named for those Dr. Seussian trees that speckle the high deserts of California, Joshua Tree National Park is an awesome day trip option for those vacationing in the Palm Springs Area. The park has long been a destination for rock climbers and offers plenty of opportunities for all abilities to scramble, clamber, and scale jumbo-sized boulders.
During the spring bloom, the desert becomes awash with natural color. The lemony scent of turpentine broom fills the air while tiny pink and yellow wildflowers sprinkle the sand. Cacti of all shapes and sizes are topped with showy flowers and even the Joshua Trees themselves burst into bloom.
Temperatures in the high desert of Joshua Tree are often significantly cooler than in the Coachella Valley so be sure to check weather reports. It is also important to note that there are no services within the park so be sure to pack a lunch and fill up your gas tank before heading out.
You can read more about the park in our full guide to visiting Joshua Tree National Park.
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Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Since day one, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have called Greater Palm Springs home, and the new Agua Caliente Cultural Museum aims to pay homage to that. Currently in development, the large project will soon feature the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, The Spa at Séc-he that celebrates the sacred Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring, gardens and an oasis trail, and of course, the official museum. Keep an eye out for announcements and youll be able to visit this Downtown Palm Springs museum very soon.
Get Wild At The Living Desert
If your kids have a fascination with the animal world, The Living Desert is a must visit. This world class zoo and botanical gardens features exhibits dedicated to the plants and animals that call deserts around the globe their home.
This beautifully manicured zoo and botanical garden is dedicated to all things desert. Animals from North America and Africa dominate this zoo such as cheetahs, Mexican wolves, bighorn sheep, and leopards.
Kids will love the opportunity to feed giraffes and go on camel rides. In addition to all the desert-themed fun, The Living Desert is also home to an extensive model train display, train rides, and a carousel. A tram runs around this sprawling zoo and has many stops, ideal for hot summer days or people with mobility issues.
Explore more of the state! Here are the 10 best things to do in California with kids.
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Take Little Ones To The Childrens Discovery Museum Of The Desert
If you are looking to escape the desert heat, the Childrens Discovery Museum of the Desert is a cool place to spend a couple hours. Various hands-on exhibits are geared towards children under 10. There are 80 hands-on exhibits spread out over three galleries. Kids love the miniature grocery store, car painting, and rope play area.
Check out the calendar of events to best determine when to take your trip to the museum. Special events for toddlers and holidays pop up throughout the year!
Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture And Design Center
The Architecture and Design Center in Downtown Palm Springs is the local creative hub for design exploration and learning about mid-century modern architecture in California. This Palm Springs architecture museum serves as a research space and an impressive storage area for the museums growing archive of design and architecture pieces. The main level of the museum features a Palm Springs art gallery, gift shop, and offices, while the lower level houses a meeting space, study area, an archive and collection space, and a library.
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Visit The Palm Springs Air Museum
It is always a goal of mine to educate my kids as much as possible while on vacation. I firmly believe that children learn so much more through experiences than through text books.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is a great place to educate your kids about World War II. They will have fun exploring a huge collection of World War II airplanes. They can also inside a plane, paint a real plane, and fly a plane on a flight simulator. If you have an aviation enthusiast in your family, definitely dont miss this museum.
